Crowdfunding to place the first house on the moon - The Moonhouse is the world’s first art project on the Moon
The Moonhouse, is now set to receive an additional boost in the form of crowdfunding, which will make possible the launch of the red house with white corners into space. The Moonhouse will serve as a symbol for making space accessible to all people. The US aerospace technology company Astrobotic will bring the house to the moon in October 2015.
The Swedish artist and entrepreneur Mikael Genberg has worked on The Moonhouse – the world’s first art project on the moon – since 2003 with the aim of putting a red house with white corners on the surface of the moon. The art project lost momentum in 2010 when the financial crisis struck, but is now up to 75-percent complete after some of Sweden’s leading space engineers have invested years of their own time and effort free of charge to realize the venture.
The art project has previously only received funding from partners from the private sector. Because of the digital revolution in recent years and, not to mention the breakthrough for crowdfunding, there is now a unique opportunity for people across the globe to participate by supporting The Moonhouse, thereby making the venture possible. The distance from Earth to the moon is 384,000 km, and therefore each contribution of USD 1 will take The Moonhouse about 25 meters closer to its destination. The larger the contribution, the closer The Moonhouse will come to its final objective. This is the first time private individuals, not states or corporations, can access the moon – all made possible through crowdfunding.
Moon landing in October 2015
The US space technology company Astrobotic, whose partners include NASA, have committed to the challenge of taking the house to the moon. The launch and lunar landing is scheduled for October 2015.
“The Moonhouse will enable people to make history and a mark on the international scene since The Moonhouse will be the first payload funded by private individuals to land on the moon. We look forward to working with The Moonhouse towards the first ‘Apollo moment’ for people around the world. Only three nations in the world have previously landed on the moon, but this is about to change,” says John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic.
Christer Fuglesang, Sweden’s first and only astronaut in space to date, is ambassador for The Moonhouse.
“Until now, space travel has only been available to an exclusive group of people. The Moonhouse provides everybody around the world with the opportunity to come closer to space. The project also helps boost interest in entrepreneurship, technology and science,” says Christer Fuglesang.
Together we can create history
Some USD 15 million (SEK 100 million) is required to realize The Moonhouse. The reinvigoration of The Moonhouse project has been made possible by the Swedish paint manufacturer Falu Rödfärg – which this year marks its 250th anniversary as the supplier of the original red paint that characterizes and colors the Swedish landscape. The company enables the global crowdfunding initiative, which in turn can realize the vision of putting a red house with white corners on the Moon.
“This year, Falu Rödfärg is celebrating its 250thanniversary. In Sweden, we started painting our houses ‘Falu-red’ already 19 years before the French revolution. That’s worth celebrating and I can’t think of a better way than supporting The Moonhouse! It’s a fantastic art project that unites people from all around the world,” says Johan Molin, Managing Director of Falu Rödfärg.
“The house will measure 3 meters by 2 meters and has a roof height of 2.5 meters, allowing enough space inside for an adult to stand upright. This presents a technical challenge since this is the first house to be ‘built’ on the moon, given that the size and the design are not adapted to be tightly packaged,” says Emil Vinterhav, head of The Moonhouse technical team.
All proceeds generated through crowdfunding will accrue in full to realizing The Moonhouse. The crowdfunding will take place via the project’s own web site www.themoonhouse.com until November 30, 2014.
It is possible to join The Moonhouse friends, and you can now choose your level of support from a range USD 1 to USD 100,000. For USD 50, the donor’s name will be printed on the inside of The Moonhouse. For USD 100, a personal digital message will accompany the house on its journey. For other rewards, visit www.themoonhouse.com, which is now open for everyone to purchase moon meters.
For press images and videos please visit www.themoonhouse.com/en/pressroom.
For further information, please contact:
Mikael Genberg, artist and entrepreneur The Moonhouse – for general queries concerning The Moonhouse
E-mail: mikael@themoonhouse.com, phone: +46 70 775 53 93
Emil Vinterhav, head of The Moonhouse technical team – for technical queries
E-mail: emil@themoonhouse.com, phone: +46 70 555 18 69
Johan Molin, Managing Director of Falu Rödfärg – for queries concerning crowdfunding and Falu Rödfärg’s collaboration with The Moonhouse
E-mail: johan.molin@falurodfarg.com, phone: +46 70 573 27 73
About The Moonhouse
The Moonhouse is a seamless meeting between art and technology, culture and science, history and the future, but above all between space and mankind. The Moonhouse is a symbol for what we as individuals can achieve by working together. The digital progress observed in recent years has created new possibilities of reaching and involving people from around the world – via crowdfunding and social media. This year, Sweden’s national color, Falu Rödfärg, is celebrating its 250th anniversary by supporting The Moonhouse in the form of a global crowdfunding initiative that aims to realize the vision – a red house with white corners on the Moon. All proceeds generated via crowdfunding will accrue in full to The Moonhouse.
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